Disclaimer: The series and characters do not belong to me.

Scathach could see the sun's red hue through her eyelids. She knew that if her eyes were open, the sun would have burned them to the point where she was as blind as her grandmother, Zephaniah. Usually, she wouldn't have exposed herself to the sun so readily. Being a vampire, any prolonged exposure to the sun resulted in a particularly painful sunburn that ravaged her pale skin. However, it was late fall, and the sun's normally powerful rays were reduced to feeble streaks that fell from the sky and barely succeeded in warming the Earth. Scathach enjoyed being able to soak in the sun's great amount of heat without the potential for her skin to change to the ugly red color that marked trouble.

The red-haired girl opened her eyes and dropped her hands to the Earth, letting her fingers twist in the cool grass. If she did what she was planning to do, she would never enjoy moments as peaceful or safe as this. The hill she was sitting on was apart from the rest of the land. It sloped gently upwards, only a scattering of flower bushes to break the comforting monotony of green. At the top was an ancient tree. Gnarled, tall, and, in its own way, stunningly beautiful. The tree's trunk was so thick that her outstretched arms only covered a mere quarter of its circumference. It, and the breathtaking view that it overlooked, made for the perfect spot to come and think in silence without being disturbed. Such a place was just what she needed on a day like today-a day when great decisions were to be made.

Scathach could hear the sounds of the village below her: the grunts of the servants as they did their day-to-day chores, the clattering of horses' feet on the cobblestones of the ancient roads, the cries of children, and buzz of conversation that surrounded any village. Her parents ruled this township. They had overtaken it when Scathach and her sister were but a child in the womb of their mother, grasping for any type of authority that they could find after the fall of Danu Talis. Her parents thrived off of such control over situations, she knew. Such control helped create the illusion that they were still living in the glory days of Danu Talis before the flood; before life as they knew it had been wiped out completely. The family's house, naturally, was the largest of the township, constructed from the labor of thousands of the new humani slaves. Many had died in the process, but her father had no patience for them. They were quickly replaced, as if the humans were simply expendable tools used to reach a egocentric conclusion. Her parents were cruel and ruthless, her brother much the same. Their unhappiness had marred their bodies and minds, making them dim shadows of their personalities from before Danu Talis sank beneath the waves-or at least Scathach reasoned that they had to have been more jovial than they were now. Scathach was relieved that she wasn't an Elder born on the legendary island of Danu Talis for that reason; she didn't want to become as heartless and evil as her family had become. She knew nothing but the lush and fertile fields of the humani Celtic Isles. She was happy here; she didn't understand how her parents couldn't move on from the destruction of their home world and enjoy what was right in front of their faces.

Only one other person in the world shared her feelings about such things: her twin Aoife.

The two had grown up knowing that their parents were miserable and hateful, never seeing a smile from their family. They grew up used to it, their senses for love and compassion limited to the bonds between the two of them. They knew that their parents resented them as being one of the new race of beings to come into existence: the Next Generation. The sisters were different from their Elder ancestors, seemingly having an ability to experience greater feelings and privileges than what is programmed into the genetic makeup of the Elders. Though they have never outright stated the reason, Scathach and Aoife believed that this was the reason why their parents and brother loathed them so-they were jealous. Their pain and suffering had rendered them unable to provide the twins with the love that their older brother had received throughout his life on Danu Talis. Scathach sometimes-in moments of emotional weakness-wished that her parents would show the same feelings for their Next Generation children as their Elder son was shown. She had always been able to lean on her sister for the unconditional love that she so craved, and in turn the two had become closer than anyone had known possible. Scathach's thankfulness for her sister was returned by said sibling in unspoken twin agreements that only they could understand.

Scathach shifted slightly against the tree, her head resting against the hard bark, and her red hair falling in waves gently past her shoulders to her upper back. Her eyes half closing as she mulled over her options. Stay with her family full of discord and hate or... She didn't want to think of it right now. Scathach was painfully aware that if she didn't stay with her family, then she would be abandoning her twin. She would never be able to do that with a clear conscience. She couldn't bring herself to leave her sister when they leaned so heavily on each other for support. Nevertheless, she couldn't see herself continuing to live as she does for thousands of years. Her parents were biding their time in the small village until the Elder, Aten, was finished building the Shadowrealm that was supposedly an exact replica of the lost island of Danu Talis. The family was to relocated there once it was whole again. Scathach and Aoife had noticed, in conversations about the new Shadowrealm, that their parents seemed reluctant to bring the twin girls into the new Danu Talis, as they had never been on the real island in the first place and were part of the new race of Next Generation beings. Apparently they didn't belong there, but their parents had made it clear that they would be taken to live there because they were their parents' children. That being the only reason why they would be allowed to live in such a place angered the twins. Scathach didn't want to live on Danu Talis in the first place. If all of the Elders there were as bitter and loathing from the sinking of their island as her parents, then she didn't want to be around them. She understood that they suffered, but had no right to take out their loss on the next generation of their people. The injustice of it all sometimes took Scathach's breath away when thinking of it.

"Scathach?"

Scathach opened her eyes to the familiar voice and looked up to meet the gaze of her sister, Aoife. She always seemed to turn up when Scathach was feeling conflicted or down, and Scathach blamed their connection as twins for that-though Scathach returned the favor to her sister. Their eyes were the same bright grass green, their hair the same wavy red, their skin the same color, and the freckles that speckled their faces identical. Even today their clothing was nearly identical: a long sleeved tunic with brown leggings and boots. The only difference between the two was that Aoife was a mere one and a half inches taller than Scathach. Aoife smiled gently and sat next to her twin, close enough that their arms were touching. They sat in silence for a long moment before Aoife spoke once again.

"What's the matter?" The sisters knew each other too well for small talk. If one was distraught then the other would immediately take notice.

Scathach's lips twisted into a small smirk, "Why do I have the feeling that you already know?"

"Because I do," Aoife nudged her sister, "but I was going to give you the chance to tell me." When Scathach said nothing, Aoife continued, "It's the usual things, isn't it?"

Scathach nodded.

"Though...slightly stronger and more troubled than normal." Once again Scathach nodded. "What I can't tell is exactly what you are thinking, so if you don't mind please tell me." her voice was touched with a note of sarcasm.

Scathach glanced sideways at her twin, "I'm thinking how I don't want to move to the new Danu Talis Shadowrealm with mother and father."

Aoife nodded, "We've talked about this before, Scathach. I don't want to go either. We'll work together and get through it like we have been doing for the entirety of our lives."

"Our own family resents us, Aoife, doesn't that bother you?" Even as she was speaking, she was able to sense what Aoife's answer would be.

"Of course it does-I feel the same about it as you! The thing is that I am willing to put up with it, but I know that you aren't."

"No, I'm not." Scathach's voice was barely a whisper. She turned to her sister, "I'm thinking of leaving."

"Leaving?" Aoife's voice was incredulous, "And where will you go?"

Scathach shrugged, "Out into the world of the humani. I want to explore; I want to have adventures; I want to live the life that I want to live."

Aoife was silent for a moment before speaking, "Why haven't you done this before? There were plenty of opportunities for you to leave. What stopped you?"

Scathach didn't hesitate when answering, "You,"

"Me?"

"Yes. I would never leave you alone with these people." Scathach spat out the last word, "I need you and you need me. I would not abandon you, and I was hoping that you would consider coming with me."

Aoife blinked, "Come with you?"

Scathach pressed on hearing the hesitation in her twin's voice, "You've heard them, Aoife, they're ashamed of us. They don't want the other Elders to see that three of the greatest Elders of Danu Talis are related to two of the Next Generation. It would be an embarrassment to the new life that they are going to try to start when on the new island. Our parents don't believe that we are worthy of experiencing the wonder of Danu Talis because-"

"Yes," Aoife interrupted, "I'll come with you."

Scathach turned sharply to face Aoife, "You will?" She was unable to keep a note of relief from her voice.

Aoife nodded, "Yes. I'm also tired of putting up with them. We should leave, start a new life with the new creatures of this Shadowrealm, the humani."

"The time of the Elders has come and gone, but they haven't quite realized that yet." Scathach said.

A faint smile touched Aoife normally serious face, "Besides, you need me. If it wasn't for me, you would be rushing straight into battle without a plan in mind. You are many things, but you are not a strategist, Scathach."

Scathach grinned, "And have my tactics failed me yet?"

"No, but someday they inevitably will, and I'll be there to help." Aoife sounded smug.

Scathach shook her head, "You're a piece of work, aren't you?"

"Well, you're identical to me, so what does that make you?"

Scathach only grunted a laugh.

Below them in the village, the shouts of their brother could be heard, unleashing his anger on the servants. Almost as if he could feel the eyes watching him, he turned around to face the hill and spied his two younger sisters watching him.

They could feel the ferocity of his glare from the distance from which he stood.

"We're going to leave this place, Aoife." Scathach almost sounded awed by the prospect of her dreams becoming a reality, "I'm glad of it."

"As am I," Aoife muttered just loud enough so Scathach could hear her and repeated , "as am I."

A/N : R&R!